AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – 9:00am Thursday February
7, 2013 – In a major top-level management change,
Whybin\TBWA New Zealand today announced the appointments of
Todd McLeay as Chief Executive Officer and Toby Talbot as
Chief Creative Officer.

Commenting on the two key
appointments, Keith Smith, TBWA President – International,
said: “I am delighted that we have attracted two
outstanding and proven performers. It’s a very exciting
time for us and with Todd and Toby on board, we are well
positioned to take our business to the next level in New
Zealand.” Smith added, “This unique partnership is a
blueprint for a new order of how we run our agencies in this
rapidly changing world.”

Todd McLeay joins
Whybin\TBWA following a successful career in running
marketing and media organizations. Most recently, he was
Chief Operating Officer of APN New Zealand where he was
responsible for all APN’s local publishing and digital
business, including the New Zealand Herald. Prior to that,
he was CEO of NZ Lotteries.

Scott Whybin, Founder and
Chairman of Whybin\TBWA Group, said: “McLeay has a
reputation as one of the most customer-centric business
leaders in New Zealand and has an excellent track record of
growing businesses with creative marketing strategies.”

Critically, Talbot and McLeay have worked together
before. “When I was CEO of Lotteries I worked very closely
with Toby who was Executive Creative Director at DDB,”
said McLeay. “Not only did we produce some of the
country’s most loved advertising, but we grew the business
– one of New Zealand’s largest consumer brands – in a
very significant way. That’s the combination of creative
and commercial success we want to bring to TBWA’s
clients.”

Ending months of speculation about Talbot
in what can only be described as a creative coup for
Whybin\TBWA, the multi-award winning creative director
returns to Auckland from Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y&R in
London, where he was Executive Creative Director. He is
responsible for some of New Zealand’s most iconic
campaigns including work for brands such as SKY TV, NZ
Lotteries and Steinlager. Talbot won Campaign
Asia-Pacific’s 2011 ‘Australia / New Zealand Creative of
the Year’ and was responsible for DDB’s numerous
‘Agency of the Year’ titles, including Campaign
Brief’s ‘New Zealand Agency of the Year’ for the last
three consecutive years – a feat unsurpassed by any New
Zealand agency.

“Toby is a world-renowned creative
leader,” commented John Hunt, TBWA’s Worldwide Creative
Director. “He’s been a top ranked ECD in the world for
the past decade. His personal award tally is scattered
across every festival. He totally transformed DDB in
Auckland, and I know he has ambitious plans for Whybin\TBWA.
I think Toby and Todd are going to be a unique, winning
combination.”

“Being ECD of a great London agency
and working alongside people of the calibre of Mark Roalfe
on brands like the BBC has been an incredible experience,”
Talbot said. “But the truth is, New Zealand has had a
strong gravitational pull all year for my family. The
prospect of joining Whybin\TBWA in partnership with Todd was
just too good an opportunity to pass up. I’ve always
admired Scott Whybin, David Walden and Andy Blood, and the
operation and culture they’ve created around the
impressive list of clients they work with.”

David
Walden will assist McLeay any way he can in the handover.
“Toby and I look forward to tapping into Devo’s vast
knowledge in the first months. He’s a legend in New
Zealand advertising. We can learn a lot from him,” added
McLeay. Meanwhile, Andy Blood will step down as Executive
Creative Director and help Talbot transition into his new
role.

“2012 was a fantastic year for the agency –
we launched our biggest campaign ever for Tourism New
Zealand and helped our long-time client 2degrees to the one
million customer landmark. I hope 2013 is even more
successful and I think it’s brilliant that Toby will be
part of that,” said Blood. “I decided last year that I
wanted to move on. To start afresh and explore new
opportunities.”

“Andy has been with us for almost
nine years and has contributed enormously to our strong
growth and creative reputation,” said Whybin. “Filling
Andy’s shoes was a near impossible task so we are thrilled
that Toby, who has an impeccable creative reputation and
truly understands the New Zealand market, will be joining
us.”

“I’m extremely proud of the group we’ve
built here in New Zealand since Scott and I started the
company in 1997,” said Walden. “Whybin/TBWA’s
continued success is important to me and I know the agency
will be in great hands with Toby and
Todd”.

Rocket Lab has signed a Commercial Space Launch Act Agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The agreement enables Rocket Lab to use NASA resources - including personnel, facilities and equipment - for launch and reentry efforts. More>>

ALSO:

Reserve Bank governor Graeme Wheeler says some market commentators are predicting further declines in interest rates that would only make sense for an economy in recession, although some easing is likely to be needed to maintain New Zealand’s economic growth. More>>

Legal advice sought by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council on the Ruataniwha Dam consent conditions has confirmed that farmers who sign up to take water from the dam could be required to reduce the intensity of their farming operation to meet the catchment’s strict nitrogen limit. More>>

Health and safety law reform sparked by the Pike River coalmine disaster has been reported back from the industrial relations select committee with weakened requirements on small businesses to appoint health and safety representatives and committees. More>>

The value of fruit exported rose 20 percent (up $330 million) for the June 2015 year when compared with the year ended June 2014. Both higher prices and a greater quantity of exports (up 9.0 percent) contributed to the overall rise. More>>